Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Senator Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo (left), chatting with Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Yolande Howard.
Some of the stakeholders in attendance yesterday.
Concerted efforts are currently under way to rebrand the National Employment Bureau (NEB) as the Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service (BECCS).
Speaking yesterday morning at an event to introduce the BECCS to stakeholders at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Senator Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo, said one of her major goals on joining the Ministry was to enhance the profile and penetration of the NEB, and seven years later that transition is in progress.
“It has always been my view that the National Employment Bureau is one of the most important agencies in Barbados and I wanted for all staff, and all Barbadians, employers and workers alike to understand it, and I wanted for the staff to see themselves as playing a major role in the development of our country. Akin to the role of education, which everybody knows in our national and personal enfranchisement, I rank the NEB right up there. If education is the key to success, employment is the door that must be opened with that key,” she said.
She made the point while noting that the NEB is vital in times of high unemployment and in particular high youth unemployment and is part of the country’s social protection, not only in respect of its role in helping affected persons gain access to unemployment benefits from the National Insurance Scheme or Government’s Retraining Fund, but it helps persons to find their way in the world and improve their standard of living.
“This is a specialised service and we have been focusing on building this capacity in the NEB, including training officers in career counselling and other areas. NEB you see, helps give the unemployed a fish, through the unemployment benefit; it helps teach them how to fish by facilitating that training; and what’s more, if I can stretch the analogy, it helps that person to find work as a fisherman also. Truly a key social and development agency,” she explained.
Her comments came as she added that the soon-to-be rebranded NEB, is diligently pursuing a number of avenues of opportunities for persons seeking employment, both locally and overseas.
“Recently I met with the National Association of Farmers in the United States of America, making them aware of the high quality of the Barbadian workforce so as to reactivate agricultural job opportunities for Barbados. Employers are enthusiastic about the level of education and training our workers have, compared to job seekers from other countries. We are therefore looking for opportunities in more highly skilled areas,” she indicated.
With that in mind, she said graduates of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic, including one female, are being assigned to work in the agriculture and animal husbandry industry in Canada. She made the disclosure while stating that they are seeking to target more women, as the regulators of such programmes overseas, in an effort to comply with labour standards, are seeking to ensure gender equity. (JRT)